Tara running through the woods the night Dad was killed.
“Maybe she saw who killed Dad . . . Could it be Harlan?” Emily’s instincts fought against her conclusion. She’d known Harlan Trapp all her life.
“Come out, come out, come out, little girl!”
He was hunting Tara, his words echoing through the forest. “She must still be alive,” Emily said in hushed words.
“And hiding,” finished Madison. “We should do the same before he spots us.” She turned off her phone’s flashlight, and Emily powered hers down, the screen buttons unusable.
The two of them moved off the narrow road and into the trees. Emily’s eyes finally adjusted, and she could see the hazy shape of Madison’s face.
“You thought you could pull a gun on me? Me? I’m the fucking mayor!”
The women slowly crept through the trees, keeping the road in sight and watching for Harlan or Tara. The road widened and fed into a small parking lot. Emily had visited only two or three times since she nearly slid off the cliff as a child. Each time she’d stayed far from the overlook fence, nausea heavy in her stomach. The big metal swing sets, tetherball poles, and slides from her childhood were still present, the swings swaying with the wind, the chains of the tetherballs clanking against their poles.
Harlan paced at the far end as he yelled, a faint silhouette against the dark sky.
“You’re a whore!”
“I think he’s between us and Tara,” Emily whispered. “Now what?”
“Wait for the police.”
“What if she’s hurt? I don’t even hear sirens yet!” Stress built in Emily’s shoulders.
“Maybe they thought sirens would spook someone who might be considering suicide,” Madison whispered.
“Who the fuck knew two sisters could cause me such problems?”
“Two sisters? Who else? Me?” gasped Emily.
“You were shot at yesterday,” Madison hissed. “I bet he was trying to clean up his mess. First Nate Copeland and then you.”
“But why would he kill Sean and Lindsay?”
“I don’t know, but right now all I care about is that my sisters are on his list. We need to get out of here.”
“I’m not leaving Tara.”
“We can’t help!” Madison said in a low voice.
A faint siren finally sounded. Help was coming.
“That took long enough.” But it didn’t give Emily the relief she needed.
Harlan heard it too and let out a string of profanities. “Your family is the rot in this town! Your father was the worst of all!”
“Look!” A black shape crawled along the ocean side of the parking lot. Emily dropped to her knees to see the person’s form against the dark sky. She yanked Madison down beside her.
Tara.
“She’s dragging. She’s hurt,” she whispered as she watched Tara lower herself flat to the ground and roll under the overlook’s fence at the edge of the park. Harlan continued to pace and shout a dozen yards from where she’d seen Tara vanish. “She went under the fence.”
Madison swallowed audibly. “There are some places to hide safely on the other side.”
“One loose rock and she’s gone.” Emily shuddered, remembering the terror of clinging to the cliffside rocks.
The place where Emily had nearly lost her life.
“If we backtrack a bit and cross the road, we can follow the fence on its other side until we reach Tara,” she told Madison. “He probably won’t see us.”
“No! There’s a reason for that fence. We both know how unstable that ridge can be.”
“But we can get her out. We can crawl back.”
“Wait for the police!”
“But what if she’s hurt?” Tara’s dragging movements hadn’t left Emily’s thoughts. “Minutes could mean the difference between life and death if she needs a tourniquet or something.”
“You’re crazy,” Madison hissed.
“I’m going.”
“Dammit! Fine. I’ll go meet the police,” said Madison. “They should know what they’re walking into. Be careful.”
Emily jogged back through the woods until she couldn’t see the parking lot and then crossed the road to the trees on the other side. She wound through them until she spotted the fence. She estimated it was nearly fifty yards to reach the spot in the fence where her sister had vanished. Her head threatening to split with pain, Emily went under the fence and started to crawl, the surface treacherous with roots and loose rocks. The slope had several deadly steep areas, but if she stuck close to the fence, it was flat enough.
Sweat formed along her spine at the thought of being spotted by Harlan, but he was focused on searching the other side of the park.
Her hair blew around her face, and the poor light along with the crash of the waves far below made her wobble.
Harlan continued to rant. His shouts would get closer and then move away as he changed direction, his voice often hard to hear over the roar of the ocean.
Anxiety and strain fueled his words; the police had to be close. The sirens had stopped, making Emily assume they’d reached the gate. They’ll walk up the road, right? The park hadn’t opened for the spring yet, and she doubted the police had contacted the parks department for a key.
Madison would meet them.
Emily’s level area near the fence suddenly narrowed, and she clung to the bottom rail to keep moving. Terror swamped her, and she pushed away the memory of clinging to rocks and weeds, screaming for her father. She moved on, one knee in front of the other. The ledge widened, and she paused to catch her breath, her heart pounding.
Keep going.
She glanced behind her, distressed at how short a distance she’d come.
Keep going.
She continued to move, feeling as if an hour had passed. Then she saw Tara.
Her sister was on the ocean side of a giant rock, where the land broadened sufficiently. It was the same rock where their parents had posed for the photo. The space between Tara and the drop-off was narrow. In that spot it was less likely Harlan would see her if he came to the fence.
But not a perfect hiding spot.
Her sister lay as close as possible to the rock. She was very still. Emily scooted closer, “Tara,” she whispered.
Tara’s head lifted. “Emily?” Her voice was weak.
As she reached Tara, Emily took her hand. It was wet and sticky. Shocked, Emily nearly dropped it, and the odor reached her nose. Blood.
In the poor light, she saw that Tara’s pants were glossy with blood.
“Where are you hurt?”
“My side.” Tara’s right hand was clamped against it. “I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not,” Emily said. She slipped off her coat, lifted Tara’s hand, and pressed it against the wound. Her sister gasped but replaced her hand to hold it.
“I want you to help Wendy with Bella,” Tara whispered.
“Not now, Tara.” Emily arranged the coat, her throat tightening.
“Wendy can do it, but I want you and Madison in Bella’s life.”
“Cut it out! You’re not going to die.” Emily gritted her teeth, terrified she was lying.